People living in cities illuminated by streetlights and neon signs are more likely to have trouble sleeping than residents of more rural areas, a new study shows. Over the course of eight years, researchers from Stanford University interviewed 15,863 people about their health and sleep quality, while also using satellite data to determine how much outdoor light exposure the subjects experienced on a nightly basis. The study found urban dwellers in well-lit neighborhoods were 6 percent more likely to get less than six hours of sleep each night. They were also more likely to report poor sleep quality, complain about daytime drowsiness, and wake up disoriented during the night. “Our world has become a 24/7 society,” study author Maurice Ohayon tells Medical News Today. “We use outdoor lighting, such as streetlights, to be more active at night and to increase our safety and security. The concern is that we have reduced our exposure to darkness, and it could be affecting our sleep.”
Taken from the March 18th edition of The Week.
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